Something Other Than God: Jennifer Fulwiler's New Memoir

Converts like to talk about their past lives, before they found God. A good many professional converts make a tidy sum out of shocking people with their former depravity, and then dazzling them with their current sanctity. It's almost as if they want to drive home the point: I used to be subhuman, before I found God. But look at me now! I'm human! I'm a real boy.

If you have ever read Jennifer Fulwiler's blog or heard her speak, it will not surprise you that this is not the story she tells in her debut book, Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It (Ignatius). Instead, one of the threads that winds through this spiritual memoir is the idea that we are all real -- atheist or Catholic. We all have stories.

She does paint in vivid terms just how she used to see the world: as a piggy bank of pleasures and distractions which the clever person should raid continuously. She fled from the dread she felt when she first realized that we will someday die, disappear, not even leave a mark like the fossils she and her atheist father hunted when she was young. Over and over, she made the conscious effort to seek pleasure. "It might not be a solution," her eleven-year-old self thought, "but chasing those moments of happiness might be all I had." (21)

Fulwiler continued this chase throughout her teenage and early adult years. I won't spoil the story by telling how she begins to change -- but by the end of the book, her life has changed drastically. Instead of pursuing wealth, glamour, and prestige, and championing a right to abortion with a cynical, mocking attitude toward believers, she finds herself juggling babies, uninsured, scrambling to find a housing her family can afford, and battling serious medical problems which thrust her way beyond the realm of normal struggles with natural family planning.

But despite these radical changes, she is still herself. She has not become a different person -- she has become the Jennifer Fulwiler who sees life differently. A small distinction, you might think, but this willingness to see and respect the person, rather than reducing him to a tidy story or message, is one of the most appealing hallmarks of Fulwiler's writing, and of her approach to Catholicism in general. She is open to the stories of everyone she encounters, from her favorite rap star Tupac Shakur, to the fervent strangers she argues with online, to the Apache warrior Geronimo, to her beloved atheist father, to St. Paul in prison. They are all treated as real people with real stories as valuable and meaningful as her own.

It is, in fact, her willingness to treat strangers as real people that makes a significant stumbling block to her belief, as she struggles with the idea that her ancestors suffered so much, losing children to disease and horrifying accidents.

But it is the realness of the person of Christ that rescues her. At the point where she and her husband Joe realize that they're really going to become Catholic, she says, "I did believe that God was real now; I just didn't know we were going to act like God was real." Her husband calls her on this game: "'[Y]ou've been following the rules as part of an intellectual investigation," he says. Are you seeking God like he's a person, or like he's a concept?'"

And she thinks, "A concept, of course. Until now it had never occurred to me that there was any other way." (196)

But it does occur to her, and she can't evade the idea. The rest of the story is only the beginning of how the Fulwilers invite the real person of Christ into their lives.

I'm kicking myself for not having more quotes to share, but the truth is that I devoured the book, and didn't want to stop and take notes or even hunt for a pencil; and since the book is being released today, I wanted to get this review out right away. It's a thoroughly delightful read, with no slow passages. Even more remarkably, it has no insincere passages. Fulwiler sees with clear eyes and reports with honesty, humor, and hope. This book will speak to Catholics who have forgotten just how compelling our Faith really is, and to unbelievers who believe that thinking, research, and honesty have no part in religious conversions. Highly recommended!

Comments

Anne Rice didn’t convert to Catholicism. She was raised Catholic. We “cradles come with our own baggage, joys, profound disappointments, and peace in the Church as well. It is no more special to convert than it is to remain faithfully Catholic despite the difficulties of it.

Posted by Bettie on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 2:59 PM (EDT):

I assume some peoples conversions dont “take” because its not easy to be a christian/catholic in this society. Its much easier to go with the flow of whatever is popular at the moment. If we dont continue our conversion daily through prayer & real communion with God we wont make it. On our own we’re lost but with God we can persevere.

Posted by Melanie Bettinelli on Monday, May 5, 2014 10:38 PM (EDT):

Even knowing that Anne Rice decided hr conversion didn’t “take” I think I might at some point be interested in reading her “conversion” story. I’m interested in how people think about faith, what makes them change. It’s an ongoing process, sure, and all you can do is take a snapshot of where you are at a particular moment in time. But for me it is not true that a conversion story’s value inheres in the “stickiness” of that person’s conversion. In fact, in the case of someone who converted and left, I think their memoir of that conversion might be especially illuminating as perhaps revealing something of the thought process of a person whose conversion was shallow. I suppose it all depends on *why* you would read the story in the first place: whether to inform your own faith experience or to better understand other people’s experiences.

Posted by TeaPot562 on Monday, May 5, 2014 8:42 PM (EDT):

@Melanie, May 3 at 9:51 (EDT):
I guess my reluctance to get excited by a “conversion story” is based on some awareness of an author (Anne Rice, maybe?) who has written a number of successful books, converted, wrote a book within a year, published it successfully, then decided that she really didn’t get along with all catholic teachings and separated.
In spite of being 80, & married over fifty years, I don’t know how to judge another person’s sincerity; but I knew of one acquaintance - twenty or so years ago - who systematically worked on sleeping with a number of attractive women at the employer where I worked. At one point his target became a practicing Catholic - a lady with green eyes. Anyway, he went through the process of “converting” (I don’t know whether the RCIA process was involved), then succeeded in wedding and bedding her, and, after a few months, continued his merry process, probably leaving a broken heart in his wake.
I never discussed the matter with him, but I suspect that sincerity was lacking in his “conversion”. I can’t judge Anne Rice, a/c not knowing her personally.
So that’s my rationale.
TeaPot562

Posted by Melanie Bettinelli on Saturday, May 3, 2014 9:51 PM (EDT):

TeaPot562,

I don’t quite understand why writing out one’s conversion story in a short period of time is a bad thing. (Though Jennifer didn’t convert just a year ago, it’s been much longer than that. Six or seven years, I believe.) Sure, her story isn’t done; but aren’t we all in the process of conversion? Jennifer had a story that was worth telling and the book does not feel at all lacking in a conclusion. Where’s the problem, exactly? Sure, she might write a very different story when she’s been a Catholic for twenty years, but she can still write that story then. I’m just not following your reasoning.

Posted by Biff on Friday, May 2, 2014 10:08 PM (EDT):

warwick paul onyeama: I wonder if you are not familiar with the custom of “April Fool’s Day” in which an outrageous prank is played on April 1 to see how many people can be taken in by it before they realize that it is a joke.

As for Jennifer’s book, I am looking forward to it. Her blog is one of the smartest and most insightful that I have read.

Posted by Miriam on Friday, May 2, 2014 7:59 AM (EDT):

Great book, could not put it down. On the front counter of my store and I am recommending it to all.

You’ll laugh and cry and enjoy the feast.

Posted by TeaPot562 on Thursday, May 1, 2014 8:08 PM (EDT):

A simple, perhaps erroneous observation: A person who converts to Christianity (including Catholicism) and writes a story of his/her life within a short time (a year?) of converting is writing way too early.
Sincerity may need some slogging up the path of day-to-day living and coping, perhaps for years. We are not all St. Therese of Liseux, destined to complete this life’s journey at age 24.
Francis Thompson (nineteenth century) wrote “The Hound of Heaven” - a poem? - that describes God’s pursuit of a lost sheep, relentlessly pursuing for years. Apparently God does not give up on us sinners easily.
TeaPot562

I was surprised to see this blog as not long ago I read a news report that Simcha Fischer was deceased. This article would suggest otherwise. In which case why was the original obituary notice ever allowed publication without proper verification? I am a fan of both Simcha Fischer and Jennifer Filwiler and enjoy reading their blog posts and wish them both long life and many more words.

Posted by charles on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 4:58 PM (EDT):

The first paragraph made me laugh, especially the expression professional converts.
I see it from the following perspective. Hypothetically, if someone were to tell me that they just converted to the catholic faith and wanted to write a book or produce a CD about such, then I would tell them to go work at a remote missionary post for a couple of years somewhere as after having done so, they would have a greater appreciation for the faith and therefore could be able to convey that as part of their materials which they are producing about the faith.
In other words there is grunt work to be done and in an ideal situation, every catholic whether cradle or convert should attempt to spend some time doing such, and especially so if that person is to reach a position of prominence.
Let me give an example. Years ago, I was told that if someone wanted to practice medicine in the country of France, that person had to first spend a couple of years practicing medicine in the 3rd world, with minimum equipment, support, etc..The logic is obvious. Want to be a doctor in France, show us how you can deal with adversity. I don’t know whether this is still true or not but the point is a good one.

Posted by Caroline M. on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:51 PM (EDT):

From now on whenever I hear one of those back from sex drugs and rock n’ roll conversion stories, I’ll think “you’re a real boy now.” Classic.

Posted by Cathy on Wednesday, Apr 30, 2014 12:42 PM (EDT):

I pre-ordered my copy back in December from Amazon and can’t wait for it to get here!!

Posted by Tantum Ergo on Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 6:27 PM (EDT):

Wow, sounds wonderful, thanks for the review! And Simcha so glad you’re not dead - still couldn’t get over that.

Posted by richard on Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 5:20 PM (EDT):

Thanks for this review. I plan to read Jennifer’s memoir.

Posted by mrscracker on Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 3:45 PM (EDT):

I’ve missed Jennifer’s blog & hope she’s doing well.

Posted by TAM on Tuesday, Apr 29, 2014 3:13 PM (EDT):

Thanks for the heads up! I’ve been waiting for this book and just ordered it from Ignatius.
For those of us in the “St. Monica’s Club” stories like this are very hopeful.
BTW, lighthousecatholicmedia.com carries her CD: “From Atheism to Catholicism: My Conversion Diary”, which is great.

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